Alexandra Day’s ‘Good Dog, Carl’

When my girls were little we discovered a series of books that featured a babysitter named Carl and his adventures with the children he was tasked with watching. That’s cool, right? Except that Carl was a Rottweiler, and the children’s parents repeatedly put them in the most absurd, precarious, and dangerous situations without a care–as Carl would make sure it all worked out.

I loved these books; I have a keen sense of and fondness for the absurd, and I delighted in introducing my children to something so unreal. I still indulge in this, often asking kids of 6 or 7 if they’re married or have their driver’s license. They are old enough to recognize I’m saying a nutty thing, and it’s always fun to watch their reaction–ends up about half will laugh and say something like, ‘No!’ while the rest actually get a little angry, as if to say, ‘Why is this grown-up not playing the social game right?’

So is it just me, or are many individuals, and even larger entities, going to great lengths to convince others to accept the absurd? I’m looking at what’s going on in the sky right now, and we have one of the most solidly realist aspects imaginable at present, the square between Mars and Saturn, that brooks no nonsense and will nail all facts to the table–and perhaps I’m sensitive to the absurd v. the real right now with Mars and Saturn forming the base of a Fist of God with my natal Moon–ouch!–so what’s behind this for everyone else?

Maybe it’s the Ceres-Neptune opposition (Authority faces off against Idealism), or maybe it’s the approaching Finger of God with base of Pluto-Chiron and apex Mars–that’s like a Universal shout out for a Band-Aid® applied with a nail gun! It’s like saying, ‘We’ll heal through destruction, by wiping out the injuries (or maybe the injured!), and we’ll bring about that healing through martial means!’ Oh sure you will.

Usually I deal with the personal, so I think that’s how I’ll approach this question, too. With Vesta as current body of latest degree, we may find people are defending what they see as sacred, whether it makes sense or not, and whether it’s truly worth defending or not. The very idea that this is possibly what’s motivating us should give us pause–and spurred by the quincunx between Ceres and Juno, we might want to adjust our thinking about our own empowerment, and how much we do or don’t need the co-operation of authorities to achieve it. Jupiter and the Sun are in sextile, and Jupiter and Zeus are square; this shines a bright light on the social order, and through conflict on the ambitions and desires of those involved. This should give anyone willing to look a clear enough picture to determine whether we must go along with the absurd, or whether we can free ourselves, with a minimum of hurt (Uranus semi-sextile Chiron).

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